After celebrating its three Oscar nominations for Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here” with the same excitement it normally reserves for the soccer World Cup, Brazil went into overdrive when it took home the best international feature statuette.
The Sambadrome at Rio de Janeiro Carnival was hosting processions when it erupted in jubilation as the Oscar win for “I’m Still Here” was announced by the Carnival commentator. The period political drama was already part of the event as best actress nominee Fernanda Torres was named one of the Carnival’s muses.
Brazilian president Lula issued a statement that “Today is a day to feel even prouder of being Brazilian, proud of our cinema, our artists and above all proud of our democracy. A recognition to this extraordinary work which showed Brazil and the world the importance of the struggle against authoritarianism.”
Globo, Brazil’s TV giant, issued a press release celebrating the win, Globo’s first Oscar as it celebrates its 100th anniversary, a victory achieved, moreover, by the first movie backed by its upscale VOD service Globoplay.
“Investing in, enabling, and showcasing Brazilian talent has been Globo’s mission for so many years, and seeing this talent recognized among the best in the world is a source of great pride. This victory is for our cinema and for all of us, Brazilians!” enthused Manuel Belmar, Globo director of finance, legal, infrastructure and digital products.
Brazil’s Movie Surge
On stage at the Dolby Theater, Salles accepted the international feature win “in the name of Brazilian cinema.”
Lately, it’s been on a roll. “I’m Still Here,” a screenplay winner at the Venice Festival, has already scored a major win in Brazil.
Produced by Salles’ VideoFilmes, Rodrigo Teixeira’s RT Features and France’s Mact Productions, in co-production with Globoplay, Arte France and Conspiração, and distributed by Sony Pictures, “I’m Still Here” has grossed $18.5 million at Brazilian cinema theaters, making it the highest-grossing national movie since the pandemic.
That is quite an achievement for a film which is certainly not a popcorn movie, recording the real-life story of Eunice Pavia and her reinvention of herself and rebuilding of her family after her husband, Rubens Pavia, an opponent of Brazil’s military dictatorship, disappeared after arrest in 1971.
Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, “I’m Not Here” became this weekend only the third Brazilian movie to pass the $5 million mark at the U.S. box office. It is breaking box office records in the U.K.
At Berlin, where Brazil fielded 13 titles, making it a major presence at the festival, “The Blue Trail,” from Gabriel Mascaró, walked off Feb. 21 with a Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s second highest-ranking plaudit. By that time, its sales agent, new Paris-based banner Lucky Number, had sold it to nearly half the world in terms of major markets.
At Cannes last year, Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino” scored a competition berth, uncommon historically for Brazilian films.
But Can Brazil Sustain the Momentum?
“This historic milestone marks a turning point for Brazilian cinema and Globo itself,” Globo said in its press release.
Certainly, film funding in Brazil has spiked dramatically. Approved by Brazil’s Senate in March 2022, the Paulo Gustavo Law, a post-pandemic recuperation measure, has poured $480 million by current exchange rates into the country’s audiovisual sector, spread across the whole country.
The first films made with its funding are being finalized. Lula’s federal government has consolidated funding lines for cinema, including co-production funds as companies look to partner ever more abroad.
Regional powerhouse Sao Paulo City and State and Rio de Janeiro offer rebate for shoots’ expenditure in their territories.
At February’s Berlin Festival, Brazil’s State of São Paulo, noted by Variety as a burgeoning production epicenter home to projects like Netflix’s “Senna,” also announced an ambitious Audiovisual Industry Development Plan.
State support at this scale for film is not seen elsewhere in South America. Commentators and the production sector are, however, aware of challenges.
“Why It’s So Difficult to Repeat the Success of ‘I’m Still Here,’” the Folha of São Paulo entitled an article on Monday. It pointed out that the screenplay of “I’m Not Here·” had taken seven years to develop and write, that of “The Blue Trail” over a decade. Working on a screenplay for years with an infrastructure and creative freedom is rare among professionals in the sector, the Folha argued.
2025 may go down as a glorious year for Brazil. Even before it won the international feature award at the Oscars, Brazil was chosen as the country of honor for the upcoming Cannes Film Market which runs alongside the festival in May.
Elsa Keslassy contributed to this story
